


Keep it Simple, Sweetheart

by kallieren



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Awkward Boners, Drinking Games, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, M/M, Sharing a Bed, and they were ROOMMATES, home for the holidays, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:49:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28374930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kallieren/pseuds/kallieren
Summary: “So what’s our story going to be?” Hux asked as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.From the other seat Ben shrugged. “Say whatever you want, don’t overcomplicate things like you always do. Just remember KISS.”“You kiss me and you’ll be kissing this arrangement goodbye,” Hux said, feeling his face flush.Ben rolled his eyes. “Not like an actual kiss, like the acronym KISS. You know, ‘keep it simple, stupid’?"“No, I don’t know,” Hux said pointedly, keeping his eyes glued to the road. “And I don’t like being called stupid.”Ben grinned wolfishly. “Alright then. Keep it simple, sweetheart.”
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Kylux Secret Santa 2020





	Keep it Simple, Sweetheart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FruHallbera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruHallbera/gifts).



> My (kinda late) gift for Kylux Secret Santa for fruhallbera! All the things you requested are my favorite tropes, so it's been a lot of fun writing this. Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy it!

December 10th

“Oh my god Hux, you guys are roommates!”

Phasma leaned forward excitedly in her chair, half-empty mochaccino and any pretense of productivity on her laptop long since forgotten. Across from her sat her friend, Armitage Hux, staring at the table glumly, head in his hands and red hair spilling across his fingers. The table they came to think of as theirs sat in a secluded corner of the coffee shop just off campus. They were there at least three times a week, partly to study for classes, but mostly to gossip.

Around them, the shop bustled with mid-afternoon activity. Baristas called out orders and worked their hissing machines from behind the counter, shitty hipster music with an off-tempo drum beat floated throughout the store, and the harsh sounds of the cold winter wind was beating against the thin window panes. From his spot by the window, Hux could feel the chill of December trying to permeate the glass, and he shivered.

A patron approached to ask for the empty seat at their table and quickly ran off as Phasma flashed her most withering glare. She turned back to Hux, who was uncharacteristically quiet. Finally, he spoke.

“I know, I don’t even know how this whole thing started,” he mumbled to the untouched coffee in front of him.

“Armie, sweetie, you’re having sex with _the guy you live with_ , how do you not know how it started?”

Hux lifted his head to growl at her. “Don’t call me that.”

Phamsa snorted. “Don’t call you what? Sweetie?” She feigned innocence with batted eyelashes.

“And it’s not sex,” Hux continued, ignoring her, “we just...do things with our hands. For each other. As a kindness.” His voice flattened at the end, unconvincing.

“Well look, honey,” Phasma said after a moment, ignoring the grumble from Hux’s direction, “you wouldn’t be telling me this if it wasn’t more than just that. Why is this such a big deal? Are you here to brag about your mind-blowing handjobs, or is it something more serious?”

It wasn’t. Obviously. It was just that last week, his roommate Ben had walked into their apartment straight from the gym, his baggy shorts and tight tank top reeking, his skin covered in a light sheen of sweat. Hux could smell him from the couch. It wasn’t anything unusual, but Hux had had a rough day, and Ben was _so_...something, he didn’t know, but it had been eating at him for months. So, Hux stood from the couch and went to close the door behind Ben, maintaining steady eye contact. Then he had gently pressed Ben back against the door and slid his hand down Ben’s toned body, and after a quick and enthusiastic nod from Ben, down his shorts. No big deal. They’d only done that again a few times since then and nothing else.

Hux groaned and dropped his head back down. “I hate him.”

Phasma snorted. “Sure you do. You’ve been pining for him for months, don’t tell me you haven’t been. I’ve been around the two of you enough to see that.”

“No one says ‘pining’ anymore if they’re not quoting Monty Python or a terrible rom-com,” he said sitting up straight, “and I do hate him. Him and his stupid, tall, hot body and long hair and soft lips, it’s all detestable...” he trailed off.

“Wait, soft lips?” Phasma perked back up. “So you’ve kissed?”

“No,” said Hux, looking out the window that had begun frosting over. “No, this is just something for fun. Kissing would be too serious. It would mean something, and I’m not…”

“You’re not going to talk to him about it? You’re, what, going to hope this carries on and then act like normal roommates otherwise and say nothing? We’re all friends, Hux, we all hang out, and I’m not going to be the awkward third party to this where everyone knows what’s going on but no one wants to talk about it.” She sat back and sipped her drink at last, then continued gently.

“Ben’s a cool guy. Tell him how you feel, and the sex will probably get even better.”

Hux sniffed, and they both sat back in companionable silence when Phasma bolted upright.

“Oh shit, I work out with him in the morning! How am I supposed to look at him now that I’ve heard about his dick?!”

December 15th

The following week Hux, Phasma, and Ben were all gathered in front of the tv, watching what had to be the worst rom-com Hux had ever seen. It was a cheesy holiday romance about two friends that had fallen for each other after years of keeping their feelings secret, all because of some conveniently placed mistletoe. _Honestly_ , Hux thought, _every love story was the same, so predictable and cringy that it almost hurt._

Every Tuesday the three would cram themselves on Hux’s couch in his and Ben’s apartment after they had all finished their classes and Ben and Phasma had showered after their evening workout session, and they would rotate who got to pick out the movie. It was Phasma’s week and she chose something awful as usual so she and Hux could talk shit about it. 

Phasma was sprawled across most of the couch and leaning heavily on Hux. With the build and looks of an Amazonian goddess, she easily crushed him, but he never really minded. He usually cuddled up with her just to leech the heat from her warm body to his perpetually freezing one. Their eyes were fixed on the screen, laughing at all the inappropriate parts.

From the other end of the couch sat Ben, not paying attention to the movie or laughing with Hux and Phasma’s harsh criticisms. He was fidgeting, messing with his pulled back hair, tapping his feet and chewing on his bottom lip, _and somehow_ , Hux thought when he looked over at Ben for a second, _still looked infuriatingly pretty_.

At an especially dull moment when the hero and heroine were finally confessing their love for each other, Ben cleared his throat. 

“So, uh, what are you guys doing for Christmas?”

Phasma moaned, movie quickly forgotten. “I’m going to see my parents out in the country, it’s going to be a terrible _drag_ ,” she said theatrically. She leaned farther across Hux, truly squishing him as she threw an arm across her face. Hux grunted under her weight and tried to sit up. 

“I'm staying here and studying, obviously. With you assholes out of my hair for a week I’ll finally be able to get some studying done,” Hux said, huffing when Phasma elbowed him in the side as punishment. “Why? Aren’t you just going to be going home too?”

“Can’t this conversation wait until this very important and interesting film is done?” Phasma called from where she was still gleefully poking at Hux. 

Ben looked down at his knees, still tapping his feet and playing with his hands. “ _HuxdoyouwanttocomehomewithmeforChristmas_ ,” he finally mumbled quickly.

At that, Hux put a stop to Phasma’s attacks and managed to sit up, confused.

“Why?”

Ben swallowed sharply. “Well, you said you’re not doing anything, and I-”

“I said I was studying!”

“-I thought maybe you’d want to be around people instead of hiding like a hermit-”

“-I am NOT-”

“-And I kind of already told my family I was bringing someone with me,” Ben trailed off quietly.

Hux stared incredulously. “You said _what_?”

Ben scowled at his knees. “You heard me.”

“Yes, but why did you say that?”

There was a silence for a moment, minus the horrid orchestral music playing from the tv as the main characters kissed passionately. Hux looked over from Ben to Phasma and saw that she had a wide grin on her face, ready for...something, Hux wasn’t sure what, but it couldn't be good. 

Finally Ben sighed and looked up. “My family is always pressuring me about being in a relationship or whatever, and I was sick of hearing it, so I-”

“You told them you’re dating ME?”

Ben frowned. “No, not you specifically, just that I’m-”

“So why are you asking me then? Ouch!” Hux yelled as Phasma punched him solidly in the shoulder. Her mischievous smile had only grown wider.

From his place Ben pouted, his plush lips on full display as Hux tried not to look too closely. “Please, Hux? I didn’t realize what I said until my mom started freaking out, and I can’t tell her that was a lie, it would break her heart, You’re the only person I know who isn’t going home for Christmas, and you can study there, everyone is pretty cool and the food’s good…” Ben rushed, nervously playing with his hair again.

Still perplexed, Hux looked back and forth between his two friends. Ben was staring with pleading, puppy eyes and a pathetic, hopeful look on his face. Phasma’s frighteningly excited face told him that she would murder him if he turned Ben down.

But Ben's request was crazy, it would be nearly a week of nothing but Ben and his family, anything could happen during that time. Plus they’d have to pretend to be in a relationship, and with the delicate nature of their current “relationship”, Hux knew things could get very complicated very quickly.

The credits rolled. Hux hoped he wasn’t about to find himself starring in a terrible romance of his own. 

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Updates (hopefully) every week, I've been busy getting ready to move at the end of the week but I'm going to try to post chapters regularly. find me on twitter at grandmilfhux or tumblr at kallie-ren. Please leave a comment if you want to yell at me for being late, I'm doing it too.


End file.
